


Somebody That Means Something

by ChiaRoseKuro



Series: A World of One's Own [8]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Aftermath of Said Canonical Deaths, Angst, Character Study, Developing Friendships, Drabble, Gen, Prompt Fic, Songfic, canonical character deaths
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-08
Updated: 2018-04-08
Packaged: 2019-04-19 14:54:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14239716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChiaRoseKuro/pseuds/ChiaRoseKuro
Summary: Welcome home,the ghost in his head says, and Sasuke stares unseeingly at the phantom press of a finger against his forehead.I killed your entire clan, took away your innocence and now you’re all alone because you’re too weak. But that’s alright; I’ll put on my mask and welcome you home anyway.Itachi’s room is trashed so thoroughly that there is nothing but burn marks and shards of half-melted glass by the time Sasuke’s done.(but even the lowest of lows are proceeded by better things eventually)





	Somebody That Means Something

**Author's Note:**

> Apparently, I can't write a nice developing friendships fic without injecting it full of angst and trauma. Don't read this if you're not comfortable with a child struggling in the aftermath of death, misplaced anger from the impotence of being unable to stop said deaths and general canon-Sasuke-related misery... or read it for the semi-hopeful resolution, if that's your thing.
> 
> Special thanks to Camila Cabello's _Real Friends_ for featuring heavily in the hour it took to write this, the prompt 'I don't often get the chance to talk to someone like you' for inspiring this but not really appearing until the end, and the first nineteen chapters of PitchBlackMagpie's _[Tuna Fish and Red-Splattered Pages](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6285832)_ for setting the tone... somehow. I'd recommend it if you're into longfics with a few sideways lunges from canon bound up in amusing character studies.

* * *

 

Sasuke is released from hospital with shadows beneath his eyes, skin bleached pale by days spent huddled in his bed and avoiding sleep, and his heart shattered into grains of sand. There is nobody to greet him when he walks into the compound, unless splatters of dried blood and the ghosts of good memories count, and his house does not reply when he greets it at the front door.

_Welcome home,_ the ghost in his head says, and Sasuke stares unseeingly at the phantom press of a finger against his forehead. _I killed your entire clan, took away your innocence and now you’re all alone because you’re too_ weak _. But that’s alright; I’ll put on my mask and welcome you home anyway._

Itachi’s room is trashed so thoroughly that there is nothing but burn marks and shards of half-melted glass by the time Sasuke’s done.

(but when he slips into bed that night, resigned to another eight hours of staring at the ceiling, his cheeks are wet and his eyes bleed red)  
  


* * *

  
“Sasuke-kun’s so handsome!”

“Look at his cool expression; it’s so dreamy…”

“Could you _imagine_ how cute his children would be?”

“Oh my god, do you think Sasuke-kun would ever want to marry someone like _me?_ ”

_Idiots,_ Sasuke scoffs in the relative safety of his head, ignoring the girls giggling behind their hands and casting admiring glances in his direction. The boys are no better, sneaking glares and irritated insults when they think he’s not paying attention, but it’s the girls that get on his nerve the most. _Sasuke-kun_ this and _Sasuke-kun_ that—they can’t throw kunai straight, can’t even do basic katas without getting distracted, and they think they’re good enough?

Sasuke stabs his chopsticks into his self-made bento—sloppy, with more tomatoes than anything else, but what other choice does he have?—and chews the first thing he snags. There’s squeals from the vapid girls around him but he doesn’t bother to look over. They don’t need encouraging, not when they’re stuck on the newest trend or hottest guy instead of their _dead parents and traitor brother_.

Weeks, now, and the ache was still there. Would he still miss his mother’s lilting laugh and his father’s gruff praise, years from now? Sasuke scrapes the last grain of rice from his bento box and trashes it, slinking to his feet so he can stuff his empty hands into his pockets.

“Sasuke-kun!” some random girl squeals, and…

With a near-silent _tch_ , Sasuke does an about-face and stalks back into the classroom.

( _weak,_ a voice in his head says, but he doesn’t know if it’s his or Itachi’s anymore)  
  


* * *

_  
Stupid, greedy toadies,_ Sasuke thinks, blowing another Great Fireball across the lake in his irritation. Weeks and months of being the Last Loyal Uchiha and every moment had been spent standing in an impenetrable shadow.

If it wasn’t asking him how Itachi had turned into a mass-murdering psychopath—and how would _he_ know when all he remembered were forehead-pokes and _foolish little brother_ s?—then it was all a façade of well wishes. _We’re so sorry for your loss,_ they’d say, barely covering the _but we’re not sorry we’ve got this chance to gain your dependence and influence_. _Come to us if you need help_ when really it was _we’ll charge you with interest because charity is dead, didn’t you know boy?_

An entire clan was almost wiped out and life went on for everyone else. Beyond the selfishness, past the covetous greed—who really cared?

“Hey bastard!” someone yelled, and Sasuke snapped around to snarl something back—

Only to stop short at the village pariah’s face-scrunching grin.

_Uzumaki Naruto,_ a detached part of his mind recalls, _no-hope prankster and dead-last_. “What do you want, moron,” he asks mechanically, crossing his arms over his chest, but it comes out flatter than he intended and Naruto drops his grin.

“Call me that when you’re not burning all the poor fish, _bastard,_ ” he fires back, but Sasuke’s already turning back to the lake with arched brows and his mouth half-open to prove him wrong.

Except—he’s not wrong. There’s bloated little bodies floating on the surface, scales scorched from where the water boiled beneath his countless barrage, and a pang goes through Sasuke at the sight.

“Go angst somewhere else,” Naruto says then, dragging Sasuke’s attention from the lives he took, “where animals _won’t_ suffer from Your Highness’ woe.”

“ _Hn_ ,” Sasuke replies, and glares right back when Naruto pokes his tongue out.

(but when they turn away again, scowls bleed from their faces and soften into grudging smiles)

(it’s not until Sasuke’s in his room that he realizes he hasn’t thought of his family or the villagers at all)

**Author's Note:**

> For further author notes and other things related to this fic or series, feel free to check out [my blog](https://chiarosekuro.wordpress.com/). I've got other writing stuff on there as well, if that piques your interest, but you're best checking out 'Somebody That Means Something' or 'A World of One's Own' if you want this fic/series specifically.


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